The Bombay Textile Research Association (BTRA) has been at the forefront of developing conductive textiles and their applications for several years. With two granted patents and multiple peer-reviewed international publications in this domain, BTRA has established itself as a leader in textile innovation.
In April 2016, under the R&D scheme of the Ministry of Textiles, BTRA initiated a project titled “Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment for Enhancing the Conducting Properties of Textiles Doped with Intrinsically Conductive Polymers” under the leadership of Smita Deogaonkar-Baride. The project focused on developing electrically conductive fabrics using polyester, cotton, nylon, and polyester-cotton blends. This was achieved by employing plasma pre-treatment followed by oxidative in-situ chemical polymerization of intrinsically conductive polymers.
A key breakthrough was the development of a plasma-assisted polymerization technique that enabled the production of flexible conductive fabrics with significantly enhanced conductivity, abrasion resistance, and resistance to atmospheric degradation. The plasma treatment increased the fabric’s surface wettability and introduced oxygen-containing functional groups, leading to improved adhesion of conductive polymers, increased conductivity, and enhanced durability against atmospheric ageing.
The resulting fabrics exhibited tunable conductivity, with surface resistivity ranging from 50 to 1 × 10⁵ ohms/sq. This broad range opens up a wide array of high-impact technical applications. These include anti-static fabric integration, targeted heat generation, wearable electronics, and moderate electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding—providing a versatile and often superior alternative to traditional metal-based textiles.
From Lab to Loom: BTRA’s Innovation Powers a New Era in Industry in Technical Textiles
A significant milestone was achieved with the successful technology transfer of BTRA’s patented conductive fabric manufacturing process to Aditya Birla Science and Technology Company Pvt. Ltd. (ABSTC). A formal collaboration agreement was signed on January 22, 2024, leading to a remarkable breakthrough by September 18, 2024.
More than just a transfer of technology, this partnership marks a significant advancement in India’s indigenous innovation capabilities. BTRA’s scalable and sustainable solution equips ABSTC with a competitive edge in technical textiles, unlocking vast opportunities across multiple industries. This collaboration exemplifies how homegrown research can catalyse industrial transformation, reinforcing India’s position as a global leader in textile innovation. Through the networking of the Indian Technical Textile Association (ITTA), this work can be further extended to other technical textile manufacturers as needed.